Dictating machine



Oct. 29, 1957 c, w, DANN ET AL 2,811,364 I DICTATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Original Filed March 12, 1948 4 \lllllll'lllllllllllllll INVENTOR iza/Hes ULDa/nn By RichcwdM Somews MW ATTORNEY Oct. 29, 1957 c. w. DANN Er AL 2,811,364

DICTATING MACHINE Original Filed March 12. 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 MN I I I I I II I I l I I I v I I l I l I R w Y 0&5 E m h? w o Emm I Oct; 29, 1957 c. w. DANN ET AL 2,811,364

DICTATING MACHINE Original Filed March 12, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 'Bnnenfor Charles H). Damz 8H Rl'ckaud H.5omers (Ittorneg Charles W.'Dann, Malden, Mass, and Richard M.

United States Patent DICTATING MACHINE Somers, by mesne assignments, to Elgin, Ill., a corporation West Orange, N, J.,. as'signors, McGraw-Edison Company, of Delaware Claims. .(Cl. 274-13) This application is a division of our application Serial No. 14,506 filed March 12, 1948, now Patent No. 2,533,- 359 dated December 12, 1950.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for recording and/ or reproducing dictation, especiallyin dictating machines of the disk-record type; however, the invention is not limited necessarily to machines of this type and no unnecessary restriction thereto is intended.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved and simple arrangement of carriagemechanism, translating device and hand control which permits easy conditioning of the translating device and accurate positioning of the same relative to a mounted record.

Another object is to providean improved dual carriage arrangement wherein a carriagefor ahand control and indexing system has an amplified movement relative to that of a carriage for the translating device, and particularly it is an object to provide a simple and accurate coupling mechanism between the carriages of such dual arrangement.

Another object is to provide a novel association of the aforestated arrangements with a movable closure member of a cabinet for the dictating machine, with the view to effecting full enclosure of the machine, guarding the machine against misoperation, enabling complete and accurate control of the operating mechanism by the performance of a minimum number of manipulations, and enabling the operator to be fully aware at all times of the conditioning of the machine as to adjustments, extent of recordation of the record, etc.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

In the description of our invention reference is had .to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a dictating machine according to our invention;

Figure 2 is a fractional front elevational view of this dictating machine with parts in section on the line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a partial top plan view of this machine less the housing and with the top part of the frame and parts of the operating mechanism broken away;

Figure 4 is a fractional vertical section taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fractional horizontal section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a fractional vertical section taken substantially on the line 66 of Figure 3.

In the accompanying figures, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a dictating machine according to our invention, which is of the disk-record type. This machine has a housing 10 provided with a rectangular base 11. The housing has a front wall 12 a lower portion of which slopes downwardly and forwardly; in this front wall there is a large opening 13 to expose a transverse section 14 of the frame of the machine (Figures 1 and 4). At its right end the housing has an extending portion of reduced ,=h'eight providing a horizontal platform16 to permit ac- ,cess'forpinounting a record on and removing the same :from the machine.

The frame of the machine comprises a horizontal top plate '17 provided with pairs 18 and 19 of laterally-projecting bosses at its left and right sides respectively (Figures 2 and 3). The left pair of bosses engage an upstanding channeled frame member 21) and are secured ttheretoiby screws 21. Likewise, the right pair of bosses .engage :an upstanding channeled frame member :22 and are secured thereto by screws 23. The'left one of these channeled frame members extends from the base 11 to the full height of the housing, but the right one extends only from the base to the level of the platform 16. Both channeled frame members, however, have forwardly- ,Sloping front portions (Figure 3) to conform to the front wall 12.

The top plate '17 is provided with a bearing 24 in its centraLright-hand portion (Figure 4) .in which there is :journalled a depending shaft 25 of a turntable 26. Sur- :rounding the right half of this turntable is an arcuate :flange 27 standing upfrom the top plate to a level just ,short of'the top face of the turntable (Figure 2). In diametrically-opposite relation to the turntable are front ,and back standards 28 and 29 on the top plate 17 (Fig- -ure 3). Mounted on these standards,.and secured thereto :.by screws 30, is a channeled member 31 (Figures 2 and 3) which bridges the turntable from front to back. This .channeled member 31 carries a record-clamping mechanz'ism32'fr'actionally shownin Figure land operable by a :handle ,33 shown in Figure 1. This clamping mechanism 'forms nopart of the present invention and need not be Therein described, but a detailed description thereof may be had by reference to the pending sole application of r Charles W. Dann, one of the joint applicants of the present application, Serial No. 780,03 6, filed October 15, 1947 and entitled Phonograph, now Patent No. 2,524,561 dated October 3, 1950.

The righthand portion of the turntable is exposed to enable easy mounting and removal of a record thereon and therefrom. However, this righthand portion is normally covered by a shallow arcuate cover 33a. The cover is ,hinged .to the housing and is raised to an open position as the handle 33 is raised to release the record-clamping :mechanism. This part of the machine, however, need not be herein described in detail since the same is the subject .of a pending sole application of Richard M. Somers, ;one .of-the joint applicants of the resent application, Serial No. 773,129, filedSeptember 10, 1947 and entitled Closure for Phonograph, now Patent No. 2,538,392 dated January 16, 1951.

The arcuate flange 27 extends a distance to the left of the front standard 28 and then leads into a transverse rectilinear guide rail 34 for slidably supporting the forward end of a carriage 35. An npstanding flange 10a on the top plate extends from the left end of the guide rail, .along the left and rearward sides of the machine, to the hack standard 29. At the rear of the top plate between a standard 36 at the left corner thereof and the channeled frame member 31 there is a transverse rod 37,. The carriage 35 has a long bearing 38 at its rearward end which is slidably mounted on this rod. At the forward end .of :the carriage there is a depending foot 39 (Figures 3 and 4) which rests slidably on the guide rail 34. Thus, the carriage 35 is mounted for back-and-forth transverse traveling movement across the central portion of the top plate 17.

The carriage 35 comprises a top wall having a depend: ing flange 40 along the full length thereof at its left side and having. a similar such flange 41 at its right side but along only the rearward portionthereof. In these flanges there are cone pivots 42 pivotally supporting a recordingtype translating device til-otherwise herein sometimes referred to simply as a recorder. This recorder 43 has a recording stylus 43a at its forward end for engagement with a record R on the turntable. To the front of the recorder there is a reproducing-type translating device 44-otherwise herein sometimes referred to simply as a reproducer-which has a reproducing stylus 44a at its rearward end. This reproducer has a pair of cone pivots 46 at its forward end which pivotally engage the ends of a transverse rod 47 (Figure 2) carried by a vertical cylinder 47a. This cylinder is journalled at its axis on two cone pivots 48 carried by a U-shaped standard 49 mounted on the under side of the carriage shown in Figure 4. Thus, the reproducer is mounted universally for both up and down transverse movement of its stylus relative to a mounted record R. g

The drive mechanism for turning the turntable and efiecting a traveling movement .ofthe carriage 35 comprises a motor (not shown) having a drive pulley 50 journaled in the top plate 17. This drive is coupled directly to the turntable by a belt 51 which rides in a groove 52 provided in the periphery of the turntable. The carriage is driven by the turntable through a mechanism comprising a transverse feed screw 53 journalled at its ends on two cone pivots carried by respective standards 54 and 55 depending from the top plate. The shaft 25 of the turntable is coupled by a gear train 56 (Figure 4) to a vertical shaft 57 journalled in the top plate, and the latter shaft is coupled by spiral gearing 58 (Figures 3 and 4) to the feed screw so that the feed screw is turned whenever the turntable is turned. At the back side of the feed screw and in parallel relation thereto is a rod 59 fixedly held at its ends in the standards 54 and 55, and at the front side of the feed screw there is a similar rod 60 having end portions with diametrically opposite flats 61 of which the left end portion seats in a rectangular recess 62 provided in the standard 54 and the right end portion seats in a rectangular recess 63 provided in a depending standard 64 at the right end of the top plate, both end portions being held in place by screws 65 as shown particularly for the right end portion in Figure 6. These rods 59 and 6% lie below the top plate 17 and have slidably mounted thereon a carriage 66 (Figures 4 and which is moved progressively along the rods by the feed screw 53 as is hereinafter described in detail. This carriage 66 serves particularly as a traveling supportfor certain controls of the machine hereinafter described.

Coupled to the carriage 66 is the carriage 35 for the recorder and reproducer. The coupling means between these carriages comprises a lever 67 (Figures 3 and 4) pivoted at 68 to the rearward portion of the topjplate. This lever 67 has a short horizontal lever arm 69 above the top plate coupled by a short link 70 to the carriage 35 and has a relatively long horizontal lever arm 71 below the top plate coupled by a link 72 to the carriage 66, the links being pivoted at their ends to the respective lever arms and carriages. Certain features of this coupling are (1) that the pivot axes of the respective links lie in planes which are parallel to one another in all positions of the carriage, and (2) the links have lengths proportional to the distances of their respective pivots on the lever 67 from the pivot axis of that lever on the top plate 10. As a result, the angles between the links and respective lever arms vary alike as the carriage 66 is moved through its range of travel to cause the carriage 35 to be driven in absolute correspondence with the movement of the carriage 66 but at a less rate by the ratio of the lengths of the lever arms 69 and 71. This lever and link arrangement between the carriages thus constitutes a particularly simple form of a linear-transmission coupling between these elements.

. The carriage 66 comprises a lower horizontal plate 73 having two rearwardly-extending fingers 74 and 75.otfset vertically from each other and embracing slidably the rod 59. At the front the plate 73 is bent upwardly and the frame member.

then rearwardly to provide the carriage with a top flange 76 overhanging a portion of the bottom plate 73. The vertical portion of the carriage between the bottom plate and top flange has forwardly-extending lugs 77 and 78 at its left and right ends. These lugs are apertured to receive a sleeve 80 which is mounted slidably on the cross rod 60. The sleeve has a collar 81 at its left end provided with a groove 82 lengthwise of the sleeve. The left lug 77 embraces this collar and has an inwardly projecting key 83 which engages this groove so as to lock the sleeve against turning relative to the carriage. The right lug 78 embraces a reduced-diameter end portion 84 of the sleeve and is clamped tightly against a shoulder 85, at the inner end of the portion 84, by a nut 86 threaded on this right end portion. Thus the carriage is secured firmly to the sleeve 80 and is mounted for free back-andforth traveling movement along the rods 59 and 61].

The bottom plate 73 and top flange 76 of the carriage 66 are bridged by a vertical pin 87. (It is to the upper end of this pin that one end of the link 72 is pivoted, the link being held thereon as by a spring clip 88.) On this pin 87 between the flange 76 and bottom plate 73 there is journalled a circular feed nut 89 which engages continuously the feed screw 53. This feed nut has 21 depending shank provided with a collar 90 to which there is staked a gear 91. This is a relatively large gear which projects through a slot 92 in the forward wall of the carriage 66 (Figure 5). On the plate 73 to the right of this gear there is a stud 93 on which there is pivoted a latching pawl 94. Pivoted also on this stud is a rock lever 95 for operating this pawl. The pawl is urged by a tension spring 96 towards the gear 91 but has a stop lug 97 at the back side of the rocklever 95 so that the pawl cannot engage the gear 91 unless the rock lever is in a released condition as will hereinafter appear. When the latching pawl is in engagement with the gear the feed nut 89 is locked in relation to the carriage so that the carriage is driven along the rods 59 and 60 as the feed screw is turned.

The sleeve 80 has a collar 98 intermediate its ends to provide a localized bearing between it and the lug 78 for va hub 99 of a manually-operable control lever, or hand lever, generally referred .to as 100. This control lever projects forwardly through the opening 13 from the housing 10. Among other functions the control lever serves as a means for manually moving the carriage 66 along the rods 59 and 60 and for thereby also moving the carriage 35 to effect a traveling movement of the recorder and reproducer across a mounted record R. Other func tions of the hand lever are (1) to control the conditioning of the recorder and reproducer in relation to a mounted record, (2) to control the locking of the feed nut 89, and (3) to effect a predetermined advance of the recorder and reproducer 'a'cross the record when either is shifted from neutral to effective condition. The ways in which these functions are carried out are hereinafter described in detail.

The transverse frame member 14 has rearwardly-e tending apertured ears 13-2 at its left and right ends through which passes snugly the rod 6%. At the right end of this frame member there is a lug 133 secured by a screw 134 to thefront face of the depending standard 64. Thus, the frame member 14 is-heid in fixed relation to the top plate 19. (See Figures 2, 3, 5 and 6.)

Extending throughout a major portion of the length of -the frame member 14 is an inset wall 101 which is parallel with the lower forwardly-inclined portion of the frame member and disposed about midway the height of Above this wall and throughout the length thereof there is an opening 102 in the frame member which is to the front of the rod 64}. At the right end of this opening there is in the interior side of the frame member a recess bounded at the front by an edge 103 which is arcuate aboutthc rod 60. At the left-end-of this opening there is an inwardly-extending .60 and to the front thereof there is a closure 106 which is arcuate in cross section to conform to the edges 103 ,and 105 and to close substantially the opening 102. This vclosure has rearwardly-extending apertured ears 108 at its ends which pivot on the end portions of the rod 60.

"There is in this closure throughout the length of travel ofthe hand lever 100 a-clearance slot 109 for-this lever. The lever extends through this slot to have a splined connection with the closure 106. Thus, the hand lever is .free to move with the carriage 66 along the fulllength of .travel of the latter but as the hand lever is rocked upwardly and downwardly on the sleeve 80 the closure 106 is rocked therewith on the rod 60.

Secured as by welding to atop portion of the closure 106 is an upstanding U-member 110 (Figures 2 and 3) which is bridged by a transverse rod 111. This rod is embraced slidably by a depending befurcated arm 112 provided at the front end of a slide 113 which is mounted 'on the right side of the flange 40 of the carriage 35. The slide has two slots 114 lengthwise thereof through whichpass headed mounting screws 115 that thread into the flange 40 to provide the slide with a forward-andbackward freedom of movement. The rod 111 is made at least as long as the length of travel of the carriage 35 so that the carriage is free to move throughout its path of travel, it being understood that the arm 112 slides along the rod 111 as the carriage is so moved. The

slide 113 has an upwardly-extending cam 116 near its rearward end which is provided with a central dwell 116a. Extending leftwardly from the free endsof the recorder 43 and reproducer 44 are respective lift fingers 117 and 118 which overlie this cam. When the hand lever 100 is in a central or neutral positionthe position it occupies in Figure 4both left fingers rest on the dwell 116a and hold the respective styli 43a and 44a at a clearance distance above a mounted record R. As the hand lever .100 is moved downwardly from neutral .position into a recording position, the slide 113 is moved forwardly to move the cam 116 ahead of the finger 117 and thus allow the recorder stylus .to engage the record under the influence of a suitable downward biasing of the recorder, but the other finger remains yet on the dwell 116a to hold the reproducer stylus at a clearance distance above the record. As the hand lever 100 is moved upwardly through neutral position into a reproducing position, the cam 116 first moves under the finger 117 to raise the recorder from the record and then moves to the rear of the finger 118 to allow the reproducer to engage the record under the influence of the downward bias of this unit. Thus, the hand lever 100 is selectively operable to place either the recorder or reproducer into engagement with the record. Moreover, by reason of the slidable coupling between the slide 113 and closure 106 and the abovedescribed spline connection between the hand lever and the closure, both the hand lever 100 and carriage 35 are free to move at their different rates while maintaining operative coupling of the hand lever to the recorder and reproducer.

Depending from the hub 99 of the hand lever is a pin 119 which lies to the right of a forwardly-extending arm of the rock lever 95. On the forward end portion of this rock lever there is a cam 120 the tip of which engages the pin 119 when the hand lever is in neutral position to hold the rock lever 95 in a clockwise position against the bias force of a tension spring 121 and maintain the latching pawl 94 out of engagement with the gear 91. Thus, when the hand lever is in neutral position, the feed nut 89 is freely rotatable on the carriage 66 to permit the carriage to be moved manually along the rods 59 and 60. However, as the hand lever 100 is moved from neutral position into either a recording or a reproducing position, the pin 119 is moved free of the cam 120 and the latching pawl 94 is then moved under the influence of its bias the rock lever is released into engagement with-the gear 91 to lock the feed nut. Thus when the hand lever is in a recording or reproducing position the carriage 66 is coupled to the feed screw to cause the'recorder or reproducer to be moved progressively across the record R as the turntable is rotated.

The rock lever has a rearwardextension carrying a pivot stud 12 2. on which there is pivoted a pawl 1 23. This. pawl is urged counterclockwise by a tension spring 1Z 4-into a position defined by engagement of a stop lug of the pawl against the rock lever (Figure 5-). Since this pawl 123 iscarried at a distance from the pivot center 93 of the rock-lever, ithas a much greaterrange of movement than hasthelatchingpawl. When the latching pawl is held disengaged by the abutment of the cam 120 against the pin 119, the tooth of the pawl 123 is at just a suitable clearance distance-from the gear 91. As

the pawl 123 immediately engages the gear91. Since the tooth of the pawl 1-2'3 is offset considerably to .the leftof a line drawn from the axis-"122 to the pivot axis 93 of the rock lever, and positioned ahead of the pivot axis 122 as .with respect to the axis 93 the initial movement of the rock lever after the pawl 123' engages the gear'91 is effective to produce a definite counterclockwise movement of the gear before the latching pawl comes into engagement I therewith. The amount of this movement will vary depending upon whether the pawl 123 first engages a tooth or a space between 'two successiveteeth of the gear wheel 91, but in any case it is adapted to bring the gear into'a position in relation to the latching pawl so that this latter pawl will engage a space between two successive teeth of the gear wheel and positively lock the feed nut. This counterclockwise turning of the gear 91 incidental'to placing the recorder or 'reproducer into effective condition is adapted to effect an advance of the two translating devices across the record. This is done so that if an operator turns the hand lever 100 to neutral position and then restores it to recording position the recording stylus will be advanced a definite amount to prevent possible engagement of the stylus with the portion of the record already recorded on. The minimum such advance-which is that effective when the pawl 123 first engages the most clockwise end of a tooth of the gear 91is typically one providing a traveling movement of the carriage 35 through the distance of the width of several groove convolutions in'the record.

The carriage drive means abovedescribed, comprising the feed screw, engaging circular feed nut, latching pawl for the feed nut and means for operating the latching pawl, is not claimed herein but is claimed in our application Serial No. 14,506 of which this application is a division.

In order to define definitely the neutral, recording and reproducing positions of the hand lever 100, a detent means eflective on the closure 106 is provided at the right end of the later as shown in Figures 3 and 6. This detent means comprises a rearwardly-extending arm 126 riveted to the right ear 108 of the closure 106. Journalled to the rearward end of this arm is a roller 127 and engaging this roller is a serrated edge 128 of a lever 129 pivoted at 130 to the depending standard 64 and urged by a spring 131 against the roller. The serrated edge is disposed generally on an are about the center of the shaft 60 and has three notches to define the respective positions of the hand lever. In the positioning of the parts shown in Figure 6 the roller engages the center one of these notches to detent the lever in its neutral position. Similarly, the upper and lower notches serve to detent the hand lever in its recording and reproducing positions respectively as the hand lever is moved to those positions.

Clamped to the carriage 66 and sleeve 80, between the lug 78 and nut 86, is an arm 141 which depends first below the rod 60 and then extends forwardly below the transverse frame member 14 in parallel relation to the inset wall 101 (Figures 4 and '5). This arm has a notch '3 142 (Figure 4) engaged in interlocking relation with a portion of the bottom plate 73 of the carriage 66 to hold the arm from turning about the rod 60. Secured by screws 143 to the forward end of this arm is an upstanding member 144 which extends through an opening 145 in the transverse frame member 14, this opening being to the front of the wall 101 and extending along the length of the path of traveling movement of the carriage 66. The member 144 carries a punch and die assembly, generally referred to as 146, which is of the character described and claimed in the Gramann Patent No. 2,184,914 issued December 26, 1939. By means of this assembly annotations for the purpose hereinafter explained are made on an index slip 147 carried by a holder 148 that overlies the opening 145' and inset wall 101 of the frame member 14, the holder being suitably mounted at its ends on the wall 101 by means not herein necessary to show. The holder is of a form common in the art and comprises a flat plate 149 having top and bottom edges folded back on itself to provide a channel open at the right end of the plate to receive slidably the index slip 147. r

The punch and die assembly 146 comprises a U-shaped extension 152 having a portion integral with the plate member 144, which extension embraces the index slip 147 and holder 148 (Figure 4). The lower leg of this extension is apertured at 159 and 160 to receive respective push-operable punches 159a and 160a. The punches are urged upwardly by suitable springs (not shown). As the punches are pressed downwardly they operate to punch small openings in the index slip. Since the punch .is carried by the carriage along the index slip in accordance with the traveling movement of the translating device relative to the record, one punch may serve to indicate lengths of separate items of dictation and the other to indicate places whereat errors and/or corrections are made.

Since the present machine has two carriages 35 and 66 intercoupled to move correspondingly with one another although at different rates, the first carriage being to support the translating devices and the second to support the control lever 100 and associated driving mechanisms, as well as annotating and position-indicating mechanisms, we intend in the claims unless otherwise specifically defined that the term carriage shall refer to either of the two carriages specifically shown and described.

The embodiment of our invention herein particularly shown and described is illustrative and not necessarily limitative of our invention since the same is subject to changes and modifications without departure from the scope of our invention, which we endeavor to express according to the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a dictating machine comprising a horizontal frame, a rotatable record-supporting device above said frame, a record-cooperating translating device and a carriage for one of said devices mounted on said frame for rectilinear traveling movement of said one device with respect to the other: the combination of a second carriage mounted on the under side of said frame for rectilinear movement parallel to and through a greater range than that of said first carriage; means for driving one of said carriages; and a coupling between said carriages having a uniform transmission ratio and adapted to move said first carriage through its lesser range as said second carriage is moved through its greater range, comprising a U-shaped lever embracing said frame and pivoted thereto, said lever having a shorter arm above said frame and a longer parallel arm below said frame, a first link pivotally connecting said shorter arm to said first carriage and a second link pivotally connecting said longer arm to said second carriage, said links being substantially parallel to each other and the lengths thereof being in the ratio of the distances of the respective pivot points on said lever from the pivot axis of said lever on said frame.

2. In a dictating machine including a frame, a support on said frame for a record and a record-cooperable translating device: the combination of a manual control for said translating device; a first carriage for said translating device mounted on said frame for traveling movement relative to said support; a second carriage for said manual control mounted on said frame for travelingmovement in a different path from that of said first carriage; a movable mounting on said second carriage for said manual control; intercoupling means between said'carriag'es to cause them to travel at different rates when one of the carriages is driven; a conditioning mechanism for said translating device mounted on said first carriage; and an operative coupling between said manual control and said conditioning mechanism including connecting means operative in all positions of said carriages for placing said translating device into effective and ineffective conditions as said manual control is moved relative to said second carriage.

3. In a dictating machine including a frame, a support on said frame for a record and a record-cooperable translating means: the combination of a first carriage for said translating means mounted on said frame for rectilinear traveling movement relative to said support; a control member movably mounted on said carriage for movement transverse to the path of travel of the carriage and operable selectively to place said translating means into effective and ineffective conditions; a second carriage mounted on said frame for traveling movement parallel with that of said first carriage and coupled to said first carriage for movement at a rate difierent from that of the latter; a control lever pivoted to said second carriage for movement transverse to the path of travel there of; and a coupling between said control lever and said control member adapted to permit traveling movements of said carriages while maintaining an operative coupling of said control lever with said translating means comprising a first coupling member elongated along the paths of said carriages and a second coupling member slidable on said first member and coupled thereto in directions transverse thereof, said coupling members being connected to and carried with said control lever and control member respectively.

4. In a dictating machine adapted for recording on and reproducing from a moving record and including a cabinet: the combination of a carriage mounted for traveling movement; record-cooperable translating means; a mounting independent of said carriage for said translating means; a hand lever pivoted to said carriage for transverse movement relative to the path of the latter into neutral, record and reproduce positions, said cabinet having a clearance opening through which extends said hand lever; and means coupling said hand lever to said translating means for selectively conditioning the latter for recording and reproducing comprising an arcuate plate closing said opening and extending along the path of movement of said hand lever, means pivoting said arcuate plate for movement transverse to said path, said plate having a clearance slot along said path and said hand lever extending through said slot to have a spline connection with said plate, and means connecting said plate to said translating means.

5. In a dictating machine including a frame and a record-cooperating translating device: the combination of a carriage for said translating device movably mounted on said frame for traveling movement; a second carriage movably mounted on said frame for traveling movement; a hand lever pivoted to said second carriage for transverse movement relative to the path of the latter; a coupling member extending along the path of movement of said second carriage and pivoted to said frame also for movement transverse to said path; a spline connection between said coupling member and said hand lever for pivotally turning the former by the latter while permitting traveling movement of the latter with said second carriage; and means connecting said coupling member to said translating device for conditioning said translating device in recording and other conditions in response to turning movement of said coupling member by said hand lever, said connecting means including elements slidable along one another in directions of said firststated carriage and interconnected in directions of transverse movement thereof for enabling traveling movement of said translating device relative to said coupling memher while maintaining a conditioning-control connection therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,158,917 Haines Nov. 2, 1915 10 Chisholm Nov. 7, Sandell Sept. 20, Oswald Sept. 14, Guichard May 31, Hogan Sept. 17, Beard Feb. 5, Allen May 16, Miller Sept. 5, DiToro Aug. 10, Clausen Sept. 7, La Forest Oct. 3, Finch Dec. 18, Clark June 1,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 28, 

